Labyrinth-valve.



J. @000. LABYRINTH VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, I914.

1,177,946. Patented Apr. 4,1916. I

5 SHEETS-SHEET l- J. GOOD.

LABYRINTH VALVE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2,'1914.

Patent-ed Apr. 4,1916

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l'lllll J. @000. LABYRINTH VALVE. APPLICATION HLED FEB. 2. ml

PateIi td Apr/1, 1916 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 1. GOOD.

23- 521- U j w 214 :21

s SHEETS-SHEET 4'.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

1. GOOD.

LABYRINTH VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-,2. 1914.

I Patented Apr. 4,1916. 5 sums-sum 5 awn/13oz JOHN GOOD. or BROOKLYN, nnw YORK.

LABYRINTfi-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

racemes Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed February 2,1914. Serial No. 815,9l7.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G001), a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Labyrinth- Valves, of which the following is a full, true, and complete specification.

The improvements relate to the form and structural arrangement of the lamellae or valve members of labyrinth valves and more particularly to cylindrical labyrinth valves and the means of applying the same to the chamber containing the fluid under-pressure, which they are to control.

The invention is particularly useful in internal combustion engines.

In the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, Figure 1 represents an internal combustion engine having the improved valve therein; Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged axial and transverse sections, respectively, of one of such valves; Figs. 4 and 5 are similar sections of a modified form; Figs. 6 and 7 are similar sections of a further modification; and Figs. 8 and 9 are also modifications.

Referring to Fig. 1, the intake and exhaust passages 1, of the engine shown, extend laterally in opposite directions from the upper end of the combustion chamber forming a so-called T-head engine structure, and the casing forming each of these pas sages is enlarged, as a valve chamber, to receive the valves. These valves are rotary valves rotating on axes which are upright or parallel with the axis of the engine cylinder, although they might be otherwise,

, forming a general engine design not materially differing in appearance from the common T-head puppet valve type. From the interior of the engine the passa es 1 lead through the valves to the manifo d connections 2 and 3, which are preferably disposed at the top of saidvalves, as indicated, and each valve is driven at its lower side by a vertical shaft 4 from the engine crank shaft 5, the gear ratio from the crank shaft to the valve shaft'sbeing as desired and in accordance with the arrangement of the ports in the valves, as will later appear. Both valves are assumed to be alike in Fig. l and each is comprised of two seriesof relatively rotary concentric shells of circular cross section, preferably true cylinders, the shells of one series'interlapping, without contact, with those of the other series so as to form a very narrow labyrinth crevice between the shells, and the shells of both series are provided with radially alined port openings which open a free passage through the valve, while in mutual registry, .but close such passage when the rotation carries the openings outof registry. The closure of the valve results from the obstruction encountered by the film of gas or fluid in its efi'ort to escape through the narrow labyrinth crevice, such obstruction being due to the friction of the said film upon the surfaces of the shells or cylinders and by the' relative rotation of the latter which tends to drag the adhering film away from its shortest path of escape. In the form shown by Figs. 1 to 3, theshells or cylinders of one ofthe series, marked 6, are concentrically secured, in fixed position, to a cover plate 7, with spacer rings 8 interposed around and between them. The cylinders 9 of the opposing series are similarly secured to a head 10 with spacer rings 11 interposed between them and project toward the coverv plate interlapping with the cylinders 6, but without contact with them. .The head or part 10 is adapted to be rotated on an axis concentric with that of the cylinders, and for this purpose is supported in or on a bearin l2 andconnected with the valve shaft 4, to be driven thereby. The shells or cylinders thus assembled are surrounded by a waterjacket sleeve 13, in which two passages 14' and 15 are provided, on diametrically opposite sides thereof, the passage 15 being I alined with the passage 1, and the passage 14 being connected with the same passage by the semicirc'ular side passages 1. The fixed cylinders -6 each have two open ings 6* formed therein in radial alinement are alined, the path through the valve will.

, with these passages 14 and 15, respectively,

extend radially inward from opposite sides of the cylinders to the interior of the innermost cylinder and thence axially within such cylinder throu h the cover plate 7, and

thence into the manifold connection 2 or 3.

,of the outer or terminal ,lshellof the assembled series, thereby counterbalancing whatever tendency might otherwise exist to press the cylinders to one side, or cause the shaft 4 to. bear unduly upon its bearing.

Such provisions are not, however, essential to the operation of the device inasmuch as the crevice surrounding the outer shell of the assemblage may be sutlicieiit to distribute the pressure thereover. It will also be observed that the fixed cylinders 6 are readily. removable when desired, by removing the cover plate 7 to which they are attached and that the rotary head 10 can be removed through the same opening. When in operation, leakage around. the head 10 is prevented by the bearing 12, or by any other suitable means of' obstructing flow through such space or crack as may. exist between the head and the surrounding casing. The location of the bearing 12 is not of consequence, but when formed by rubbing surfaces, as indicated in they present case, is desirably somewhat remote from the regions that are subject to high temperature, and is preferably placed where it can be oiled when necessary.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the construction therein illustrated differs from that already described only in the respect that the'water-jacket casing 13 is not present and that the series of interlapping cylinders 16 and. 17 are each provided with but a single port opening, which is brought into radial alinement once for every revolution of the head 10 and valve shaft 4:. When this form of .valve is closed, the outermost shell or cylinder of the assemblage is subject to the pressure of the fluid on all sides, the

passage 18 being relatively wide for this purpose, although the aroportionsshown are somewhat larger than necessary. Between the head 10 and the valve casing, there is placed a washer 19, which in this form serves. to prevent leakage that might tend to take place at the bearing.

While in both forms above described the pressure of the controlled fluid has access to the outer side of the outer or terminal cylinder of the assemblage, it will be understood that by simple reversal the interior of the innermost cylinder'can be exposed to the pressure, if desired, and without in any way affecting the mode of operation of the valve. f

It will be evident that the total length of the labyrinth crevice between the cylinders may be made as long as necessary to serve the particular pressure to be controlled, "as for instance, by using a greater. extent 0 overlap of the shells or cylinders, or a largernumber of cylinders, but as such'enlarge- I ment necessarily also enlarges the diameter of the valve structure as a whole, and is] sometimes inconvenient of use onthis ac- Q count, the sameefiect maybe obtained by v using two or more assemblages of concentric interlapping cylinders, in series relation.

This is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, wherein the fixed cylinders 20 of each group or asa semblage are secured to a fixed cover part 23 and the complementary rotary cylinders 21 are secured to two adjacent rotary heads 22, both assemblages being inclosed in a u I common casing 2st. This casing forms-a] chamber for each group of cylinders and I also in the present case provides the bearings for the heads. The two chambers in the casing areseparated by a partition Wall 25, which is desirably a thin wall, and are connected with each other by an opening 25 in thewall, the latter being alined with the port openings 20 on the fixed disks 20 of each group.

The rotary cylinders are driven byt'wo intermeshing gears 26, or otherwise, so that their port-openings 21 are brought simultaneously into registry with the fixed openings and the passage 25 Either oneor both of the gears 26 may be driven by a.

shaft 4: from the engine crank shaft, or. otherwise, and the fluid controlled by the valve may pass axially into one grou through the registering passages, and ax1 ally out throughthe other group, as indicated by the arrows. Moreover, it is within the invention to arrange two groups of interlapping cylinders in the reverse sense, that is to say, that the fluid to be controlled enters from the outside of one assemblage, passes fromthe' assemblage 31, and the rotary cylinders of "all three assemblages are inclosed in a casing '29: and geared together by gears 33, so that the openings in the single secondary will register successively with the openings in both primaries, atthe proper moment thus permitting the fluid to escape alternately fromport 28 and. 30 into and through .port

' 2. A labyrinth valve comprising a series of cylinders concentrically held in fixed. osition and a series of rotary concentric cylinders interlapping without contact with the fixed cylinders and both series being provided with alined port openings, whereby a free passage is alternately opened and closed through the valve by the relative rotation of one series with respect to the other.

3. A labyrinth valve for" controlling fluid under pressure, comprising two series of concentric shells of circular cross section, those of one series interlapping with the shells of the other series to form a labyrinth crevice therebetween and both series provided with alined openings wherebya free passage is alternately opened and closed by the relative rotation of the two series and means whereby the fluid under pressure has access to opposite sides of one of the shells, to balance the pressure thereon.

4. The combination of a chamber for fluid under pressure, a valve controlling a passage leading thereto, said valve comprising two series of relatively rotary, concentrically mounted shells of circular cross section, the shells of one series interlapping with those of the other series and provided with radially alined port openings adapted to register with the said passage to open communioation through the same means for rotating one of the series of said shells, and means for balancing the pressure on opposite sides of said valve.

5. The combination of a chamber,contain ing fluid under pressure, a valve at one side of such chamber controlling a passage leading thereto, said valve being comprised of two series of relatively rotary, concentric shells ofcircular cross section, the shells of one series interlapping with those of the other series without contact therewith to ,form a labyrinth crevice between them, port openings in each series of shells adapted for registration with each other and with said passage and a shaft alined with the common axis of the series of rotary shells for rotat-.

ing the same.

-6. A labyrinth valvecomprising two serles of concentric shells of circular cross section, those of one series interlapping without centriccylinders, the shells of one series intel-lapping with those of the other and the shells of one or both of said series being provided with port openings in alinement whereby a free passage through the valve is openedand closed by the rotation of the shells, the innermost shell of the assemblage having a cross-sectional area approximating the area of said free passage through the registering port openings.

8. A labyrinth valve for controlling fluid under pressure and comprising two v series of concentric shells of circular cross section, the shells of one series interlapping with those of the other to form a labyrinth crevice therebetween and both series" provided with radially alined port openings adapted for registration by the relative rotation of the two series of shells, the terminal shell of one of the series being exposed at diametrically opposite points to the pressure of the fluid controlled by said valve, and a portion of the fluid passage through the valve, when open, extending axially of the shells.

9. A labyrinth valve comprising 'a valve chamber, two concentric series of shells therein, the shells of one series interl'apping with those of the other series and both. series provided with port openings adapted to register, whereby a free passage is opened through the interlapping series bythe'relative rotation thereof, a cover for the valve chamber forming a support at one end of the valve chamber for one of the series of shells and driving means entering the valve'chamno her. on the opposite side for rotating the other series of shells.

10. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a labyrinth valve controlling a. passage connecting with the interior 4 of the cylinder thereof and comprising a plurality of interlapping relatively rotary concentric shells having radial port ope'nings therein adapted to form a pasage extending radially through the shells and axially through the innermost shell, and a pipe connection with the said innermost shell.

11-. The combination with a chamber to contain fluid under pressure, of a valve chamber, a cylindrical labyrinth valve there in comprising a series of ported concentric cylinders fixed within the valve chamber and a series of rotary interlapping concen tric cylinders having openings adapted to register with the openings of said first men- 13.

tioned series to form a free assa e throu h thevalve, a part supporting the rotary shells, means between said part and valve 12. A valve for controlling fluid pressure,

comprising a valve casing or chamber, a series of rotary concentric shells mounted therein, a cover member for said .valve chamber, a series of relatively fixed concentric shells secured thereto and interlapping with the fixed cylinders,-both series provided with port openings adapted to register and open and close a free passage through the shells by the relative rotation thereof, and a pipe connection with said cover membemcommunicating with the interior of the innermost shell, the organizationof the parts being such that on the removal of said cover member and fixed shells, the rotary shells may be removed through the same opening. 4

13. A valve for controlling fluid pressure,

comprising. two assemblages of concentric shells, each assemblage comprising a series of relatively fixed and a series of relatively rotary shells interlapping with each other, both fixed and rotary series of each assemblage having port openings therein, adapted for registry to form a free passage through both assemblages of shells.

14. A double valve comprising two primary assemblages of interlapping valve members and one secondary assemblage,

adapted for alternately cooperating with each. primary assemblage, each assemblage comprising a series of relatively fixed and a series of relatively rotary valve members having port openings adapted to register to form a free passage through either primary and the secondary. 15. A valve for controlling fluid pressure comprising a rotatable'ported valve member and a stationary ported valve member, the two being of circular section and forming between them a continuous narrow crevice adaptedby virtueof its narrowness and extent to prevent the escape of said pressure therethrough when said rotatable member is rotating, and means for balancing the pressure on said rotatable member to maintain the alinement thereof.

16. A valve for controlling fluid pressure of high temperature comprising arotatable ported valve member, a relatively stationary valve member, the two being of circular cross-section and forming between them a narrow non-sealed crevice of suflicient extent and narrowness to prevent escape of pressure therethrough, means whereby said rotatable member is. subjected to said pres sure in opposite directions, and means forabstracting heat from said valve members,

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.-

' JOHN GOOD.

Witnesses:

- G. A. TAYLOR,

' K. L. GRANT. 

